Frank Grillo is starring in the TV-based remake of the Sylvester Stallone film, Nighthawks. The actor has made a name for himself with his performances in films like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Warrior. More recently, he can be seen in Michele Civetta's The Gateway, which is currently available on VOD.
Nighthawks is a 1981 film starring Sylvester Stallone and the late Rutger Hauer, who passed away in 2019. The neo-noir film follows a hard-boiled cop named Deke DaSilva (Stallone) who finds himself hot on the trail of a deadly terrorist named Wulfgar (Hauer). In addition to Stallone and Hauer, the film also stars Billy Dee Williams as DeSilva’s partner, Matthew Fox, as well as Lindsay Wagner as DaSilva’s estranged wife, Irene.
Nighthawks is now poised to become one of the many upcoming TV reboots, and Frank Grillo is stepping into Sylvester Stallone’s shoes. In a recent interview on The Beard and The Bald podcast, Grillo revealed that he’s working with Stallone (who will direct and appear in the remake) on a limited series revival of Nighthawks. Read what Grillo said below:
We’re redoing Nighthawks as a limited TV series – eight episodes. I’m playing him. He’s directing, he’s gonna direct ‘em, and then he’s gonna be in it…It’s happening as we speak, we’re selling it right now.
Though it’s now confirmed that he will take on the role of Deke DaSilva in the Nighthawks remake, there are still a number of elements that need confirmation. One such element is the question of actors who could step in to fill the roles of Matthew Fox and Wulfgar. In his interview, Grillo noted that one of the things he was most excited about as he took the baton from Stallone's performance was the casting process of Wulfgar, seemingly confirming that the limited series will, at least partially, return to the story of the original film for inspiration. Also worth noting is Frank Grillo’s clear excitement for the upcoming project. Elsewhere in his interview, Grillo remarked on how his role as DaSilva is the culmination of a longtime fandom for Sylvester Stallone since his role as Rocky. Grillo said, "I’m like you, I love Rocky, I just love Stallone and I’m at this point where I’m sitting across from him and he’s telling me I’m the only guy to play the role…This is AMAZING!"
For Frank Grillo to take on a role made famous by Sylvester Stallone makes quite a bit of sense, as they do seem to operate in similar spaces as action heroes. Stallone became a household name for somber and complex, yet infinitely rugged tough guys, which is something Grillo has neatly stepped into with his roles in films like The Purge: Anarchy and the 2017 thriller, Wheelman. That said, times have changed, and so have on-screen heroes, so audiences will have to wait and see how Grillo evolves the DaSilva role when the upcoming eight-episode Nighthawks limited series debuts.
Source: The Beard and The Bald